Foot stepper for toilet bowl

ABSTRACT

A foot stepper for driving a lever of a flush valve of a toilet bowl includes a base plate, a pedal disposed on the base plate, and an operating member connected to a driving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in front and rear directions of the base plate within the base plate. The pedal has a protrusion on its lower surface, the operating member has a seating surface in contact with the protrusion, and the seating surface of the operating member may be inclined such that, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operating member in the front and rear directions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.20-2021-0001341 filed on Apr. 28, 2021 and Korean Patent Application No.20-2022-0000373 filed on Feb. 7, 2022, the entire contents of which areherein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present device relates to a foot stepper for driving a lever-typeflush valve of a toilet bowl. More particularly, the present devicerelates to a foot stepper for toilet bowls enabling a user to drive aflush valve for toilet bowls by foot while enabling the user to drivethe flush valve by pressing down or raising a lever by hand.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, flush toilet bowls in public rest rooms adopt a structure offlushing water by pressing down or raising a lever by hand. For example,as shown in FIG. 1, a flush valve 2 for toilet bowls is installed on apipe 1 extending upwards from the rear of a toilet bowl, and the flushvalve 2 for toilet bowls is provided with a lever 3 disposed in ahorizontal direction in a normal state, and the lever 3 is pressed downor raised by a user to operate the flush valve 2. However, because manyusers touch the lever 3 of the flush valve 2, hygiene is not good, andthere is a risk of actual exposure to bacteria. In particular, socialdemand for non-contact is increasing due to recent COVID-19 situations.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Document

(Patent Document 1) KR 20-1999-0036062

SUMMARY Technical Problem

The present device is designed to solve the problems of the related art,and therefore the present device is directed to providing a foot stepperfor toilet bowls capable of protecting a user from various virus dangerssuch as COVID-19 and enabling even a patient having difficulty in upperbody movement to easily operate a flush valve, by enabling a user todrive a flush valve for toilet bowls by foot while enabling the user todrive the flush valve by pressing down or raising a lever by hand.

The present device is also directed to providing a foot stepper fortoilet bowls that can be miniaturized by lowering an overall height ofthe foot stepper.

The present device is also directed to providing a foot stepper fortoilet bowls that can be easily used by children or women by stably andsufficiently driving a lever even with a small force.

The present disclosure is also directed to providing a foot stepper fortoilet bowls that is easy in maintenance even with frequent use, byproviding a foot stepper for toilet bowls that is easy for non-expertsto assemble and disassemble with a simple structure without the aid of aspecial tool.

The present disclosure is also directed to providing a foot stepper fortoilet bowls having a low probability of failure even in toilet bowl andtoilet environments that require frequent water cleaning.

Technical Solution

According to an embodiment of the present device, a foot stepper fordriving a lever of a flush valve of a toilet bowl includes a base plate,a pedal disposed on the base plate, and an operating member connected toa driving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in frontand rear directions of the base plate within the base plate. The pedalhas a protrusion on its lower surface, the operating member has aseating surface in contact with the protrusion, and the seating surfaceof the operating member is inclined such that, as the pedal is presseddownward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operating memberin the front and rear directions.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the base plate mayinclude an edge portion extending along an edge to form an inner space,the edge portion may include a front edge portion, a rear edge portion,and a side edge portion connecting the front edge portion to the rearedge portion, and at least a portion of the side edge portion mayinclude a guide portion for guiding forward and backward sliding of theoperating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one drainhole may be formed in a lower surface of the base plate.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a stopping protrusionto be guided along the guide portion may be formed on a side surface ofthe operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a spring may bedisposed between the front edge portion of the base plate and theoperating member, one end of the spring may be connected to the frontedge portion, and the other end of the spring may be connected to theoperating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, when a force appliedto the pedal is removed, the operating member may be moved forward atleast partially by a restoring force of the spring, and thus theprotrusion may move upward along the seating surface of the operatingmember and the pedal may return to its original position.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the protrusion mayinclude a seating surface inclined at an inclination angle correspondingto the inclination angle of the seating surface of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the pedal may includea guide pin extending downward at every corner of a lower surface of thepedal, the base plate may include a guide hole into which the guide pinis inserted, at every corner of an upper surface of the base plate, andthe guide pin may be movable in a vertical direction while beinginserted into the guide hole.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the foot stepper mayfurther include a cradle surrounding the base plate, and the cradle maybe a structure having a shape increasing toward the bottom.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a rotatable roller isprovided on the protrusion, and thus, as the pedal is pressed downward,the protrusion may move downward, and the roller may rotate while beingseated on the seating surface of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the rotatable rollermay be provided in pair.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the pedal may berotatably coupled to the base plate, an upper surface of the pedal mayinclude a first plane and a second plane, and the first plane may beformed to be inclined with respect to the second plane.

According to an embodiment of the present device, when the pedal is notpressed downward, the first plane may be parallel to the base plate.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one guidemember extending in the front and rear directions of the base plate maybe disposed within the base plate, a through hole through which and intowhich the guide member passes and is inserted may be formed in theoperating member, and the operating member may extend in the front andrear directions of the base plate in a state where the guide member isinserted into the through hole.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one spacerfor separating a bottom surface of the operating member from an uppersurface of the base plate may be formed on an upper surface of the baseplate, and the spacer may extend in the front and rear directions of thebase plate so that the operating member slides in the front and reardirections of the base plate while being spaced apart from the uppersurface of the base plate on the spacer.

Advantageous Effects

According to an embodiment of the present device, the overall height ofa foot stepper may be lowered with a simple structure, so that the footstepper may be miniaturized.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a lever may be stablyand sufficiently driven even with a small force, through an operatingmember.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a pedal has ahinge-type structure and is composed of a first plane and a second planeinclined with respect to the first plane, and thus a user may step on apedal without strain on the ankle by stepping on the first plane, and auser accustomed to a hinge-type pedal such as a car pedal may use a footswitch without sense of difference by stepping on the second plane.

According to an embodiment of the present device, each of the componentsof the foot stepper has a simple structure and is thus easy to assembleand disassemble. Because users frequently use a flush value of a toiletbowl according to a function of the flush valve, replacement of specificparts and maintenance thereof are easy due to such easy disassembly andassembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl including a lever-typeflush value that is used in a typical public rest room.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of a toilet bowl provided with a foot switchaccording to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state whereits arm is not rotated, according to an embodiment of the presentdevice.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state whereits arm is rotated and a lever has been pushed up, according to anembodiment of the present device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lever operating part (from which ahousing has been removed), according to an embodiment of the presentdevice.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state ofbeing mounted on a flush valve, according to an embodiment of thepresent device.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the lever operating partaccording to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a firstembodiment of the present device.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the foot stepper according tothe first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal hasbeen removed, according to the first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of thepedal is exposed, according to the first embodiment of the presentdevice.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a secondembodiment of the present device.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal hasbeen removed, according to the second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the foot stepper according to the secondembodiment of the present device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of thepedal is exposed, according to the second embodiment of the presentdevice.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an operating member according to thesecond embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a base plate according to the secondembodiment of the present device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present device will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the deviceare shown. The present device may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to limit the present device. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

It will be understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedcomponents, steps, operations, and/or elements thereof, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other components,steps, operations, and/or elements thereof.

While such terms as “first”, “second”, etc., may be used to describevarious components, such components must not be limited to the aboveterms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component fromanother. In the description, certain detailed explanations of therelated art are omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarilyobscure the essence of the present device.

Hereinafter, the present device will be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsof the device are shown. The configuration of the present device and theeffect of the action thereof will be clearly understood through thefollowing detailed description.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl provided with a footswitch according to an embodiment of the present device. Referring toFIG. 2, a foot switch 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdevice may include a lever operating part 100, a driving cable 200, anda foot stepper 300. Through this foot switch 10, a user may operate aflush valve 2 by stepping on a pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300 withhis or her foot, while the user may still operate the flush valve 2 byraising or lowering a lever 3 by his or her hand. A more detaileddescription thereof will now be given below with reference to thedrawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state whereits arm is not rotated, according to an embodiment of the presentdevice. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in astate where its arm is rotated and a lever has been pushed up, accordingto an embodiment of the present device.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, an arm 140 is inside a housing 120,and, only when the user steps on the pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300with his or her foot, the arm 140 is rotated to protrude from thehousing 120 and pushes the lever 3 upwards. Through this structure, asshown in FIG. 3, even when the foot switch 10 is mounted on the flushvalve 2, no mechanical devices or instruments are exposed around thelever 3 of the flush valve 2 until the user steps on the pedal 340 ofthe foot stepper 300. (As will be described later), while the footswitch 10 according to an embodiment of the present device adopts only amechanical structure without using any electronic device such as amotor, no mechanical devices for driving the lever 3 are exposed aroundthe lever 3 until the user steps on the pedal 340 of the foot stepper300, and accordingly, the user does not feel a significant differencefrom a typical toilet bowl in which the foot switch 10 is not installed.Thus, without giving a sense of discomfort when the user selects anexisting function of operating the flush valve 2 by raising or loweringthe lever 3 by hand, a function of operating the lever 3 with the user'sfoot may be additionally provided.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lever operating part 100 (from whichthe housing 120 has been removed), according to an embodiment of thepresent device. The lever operating part 100 includes a frame 160 fixedto the flush valve 2, and the arm 140 configured to rotate relative tothe frame 160 as the driving cable 200 is pulled. The arm 140 is rotatedto contact the lever 3 and push the lever 3 to rotate the lever 3. Asshown in FIG. 5, a seating groove 146 may be formed at a location withwhich the lever 3 comes into contact during rotation of the arm 140. Theframe 160 and the arm 140 may be manufactured with steel.

The lever operating part 100 may further include a first fixing member110 for fixing the frame 160 to the flush valve 2, and a second fixingmember 130 for fixing an end of the driving cable 200 to the frame 160.

The first fixing member 110 may be, for example, a metal band made ofaluminum having a predetermined ductility. FIG. 6 is a perspective viewof a lever operating part in a state of being mounted on a flush valve,according to an embodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 6,one end of the first fixing member 110 may be fixed to the frame 160through screws 161 and 162, and the first fixing member 110 may surroundthe flush valve 2 and then be tightened with a screw 111 to fix theframe 160 to the flush valve 2.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the lever operating part 100according to an embodiment of the present device. A rotation shaft 170is inserted into a hole 144 of the arm 140 and a hole 164 of the frame160, so that the arm 140 is rotatably coupled with the frame 160. Asshown in FIG. 6, a direction L2 of the rotation shaft 170 of the arm 140is parallel to a lengthwise direction L1 of the lever 3 in anon-actuated state. At one end of the arm 140, a protruding pin 150 iscoupled to a hole 142 of the arm 140 so as to extend parallel to therotation shaft 170 of the arm 140. A hole 166 is formed at an end of theframe 160, and the second fixing member 130 is fixedly fitted into thehole 166. The second fixing member 130 may have a cylinder shape havinga hollow, and the driving cable 200 may be fitted onto the hollow andfixed to the hole 166. When the arm 140 is coupled with the protrudingpin 150 and the rotation shaft 170 and the second fixing member 130 iscoupled with the frame 160, a fixing packing 180 may be used for fixing.

The driving cable 200 has a double-track cable structure and may becomposed of an inner cable 240 and an outer cable 220 surrounding theinner cable 240, and the outer cable 220 may be, for example, a sheathedwire. The inner cable 240 is movable within the outer cable 220. Asshown in FIG. 5, the outer cable 220 may be fixedly fitted into thehollow of the second fixing member 130, and the inner cable 240 mayfurther extend from the outer cable 220 and may be fixed to theprotruding pin 150 through a hole formed in the protruding pin 150.Accordingly, when the inner cable 240 is pulled, the arm 140 is rotatedabout the rotation shaft 170.

Through the above-described structure (that is, the double-track cablestructure and the structure in which one end of the outer cable 220 isfixed at a predetermined point through the lever operating part 100attached to the flush valve 2), the driving cable 200 does not need tomaintain a taut state. In other words, even when the driving cable 200does not maintain a taut state, the inner cable 240 is pulled so thatthe arm 140 is rotated. For example, when the driving cable 200 has asingle-wire structure, unless the driving cable 200 is in a taut state,the arm 140 may not rotate even when the driving cable 200 is pulled.Therefore, additional fixtures for keeping the driving cable 200 tautare needed around a toilet bowl (e.g., on the floor or wall), and thusadditional construction may be needed on the floor or wall and the flooror wall may be damaged.

As shown in FIG. 3, a guide groove 122 is formed in the housing 120,and, as the arm 140 rotates, it moves along the guide groove 122. Alever groove 124 enabling the lever 3 to protrude from the housing 120is formed in the housing 120. A lower portion of the housing 120 is openso that the housing 120 may be mounted on the flush valve 2 from the topto the bottom, and respective lower portions of the guide groove 122 andthe lever groove 124 are also open. Through the above-describedstructure, without needing to disassemble or change the existing flushvalve 2, the lever operating part 100 may be easily installed on theflush valve 2 by fixing the frame 160 to the flush valve 2 through thefirst fixing member 110 and then covering the frame 160 with the housing120. On the other hand, by removing the housing 120 and releasing thefirst fixing member 110 from the flush valve 2, the lever operating part100 may be easily removed from the flush valve 2. Because the leveroperating part 100 is frequently used by users according to the functionof the flush valve 2 of a toilet bowl, such easy attachment/detachment,disassembly, and assembly facilitate replacement of specific parts.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a firstembodiment of the present device. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective viewof the foot stepper according to the first embodiment of the presentdevice. A foot stepper 300 according to the first embodiment of thepresent device includes a base plate 320, the pedal 340 disposed on thebase plate 320, and an operating member 370 that is connected to thedriving cable 200 for operating the lever 3 and slidably disposed infront and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 320 within the baseplate 320. In consideration of corrosion, the base plate 320, theoperating member 370, and the pedal 340 may be manufactured by injectionmolding plastic.

In order to prevent the foot stepper 300 from being unintentionallyturned over or easily moved on the floor surface of a public rest roomwhile being used, the foot stepper 300 may additionally include a cradle360. The cradle 360 may be designed to be larger toward the bottom sothat a surface in contact with the floor increases. In order not to beeasily moved, unlike the base plate 320, the cradle 360 may be made ofstainless steel (which is relatively heavy compared to plastic).

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal hasbeen removed, according to the first embodiment of the present device.However, for the purpose of explanation, a portion of the protrusion 342formed on a lower surface of the pedal 340 is also shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the base plate 320 includes an edge portionextending along its edge to form an inner space. The edge portionincludes a front edge portion 321, a rear edge portion 322, and sideedge portions 323 and 324 connecting the front edge portion 321 to therear edge portion 322. A plurality of springs 350 may be disposedbetween the front edge portion 321 and the operating member 370. A hookportion 325 may be formed on the front edge portion 321, a groove 372may be formed on a seating surface 374 of the operating member 370, andboth ends of each of the springs 350 may be fitted onto the hook portion325 and the groove 372, respectively, and thus the spring 350 may beconnected to the front edge portion 321 and the operating member 370.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of thepedal is exposed, according to the first embodiment of the presentdevice. As shown in FIG. 11, a protrusion 342 may be coupled to thelower surface of the pedal 340 through a screw.

Referring to FIG. 10, the operating member 370 includes the seatingsurface 364 in contact with the protrusion 342. As a user steps on thepedal 340 with his or her foot and accordingly the pedal 340 is presseddownward L, the protrusion 342 (together with the pedal 340) movesdownward L. Because the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370is inclined in the front and rear directions (F, R), the protrusion 342pushes the operating member 370 rearward R while moving downward L. Asthe operating member 370 is pushed rearward R, a driving cable (moreprecisely, the inner cable 240) connected to the operating member 370 ispulled.

When the user removes the foot from the pedal 340 and thus a forceapplied to the pedal 340 is removed, a restoring force of the spring 350and the lever 3 return to their original positions, and thus theoperating member 370 is moved forward F by a force of pulling thedriving cable 200, and, accordingly, while the protrusion 342 is movingupward U along the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370, thepedal 340 returns to its original location. Preferably, the protrusion342 may have a seating surface 346 inclined at an inclination anglecorresponding to the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of theoperating member 370. Accordingly, stable surface contact between theprotrusion 342 and the operating member 370 is possible.

Through the above-described structure, an overall height of the footstepper 300 may be adjusted. For example, a length of the inner cable240 that needs to be pulled to drain water according to the existingflush valve 2 is determined. In other words, a distance by which theoperating member 370 needs to move rearward R is determined according tothe existing flush valve 2, and this distance is proportional to adownward (L) moving distance of the pedal 340, but the proportion variesaccording to the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of theoperating member 370 with respect to the bottom surface of the baseplate 320. When the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of theoperating member 370 with respect to the bottom surface of the baseplate 320 is set to be small, the operating member 370 further movesrearward R according to the downward (L) movement of the pedal 340.Accordingly, an overall height of the foot stepper 300 in a state wherethe user does not step on the pedal 340 is kept low, and accordingly,the foot stepper 300 may be miniaturized.

The pedal 340 may include a guide pin 344 extending downward L at everycorner of its lower surface, and the base plate 320 may include a guidehole 326 in a cylindrical shape into which the guide pin 344 isinserted, at every corner of its upper surface. Because the guide hole326 has a sufficiently great length, the pedal 340 is moved in avertical direction (U, L) while the guide pin 344 is being inserted intothe guide hole 326, and accordingly, a movement of the pedal 340 in thevertical direction (U, L) is stably guided.

In addition, a guide portion 327 for guiding sliding of the operatingmember 370 in the forward and backward directions (F, R) is formed on atleast a portion of the side edge portions 323 and 324, and a stoppingprotrusion 376 to be guided along the guide portion 327 is formed on aside surface of the operating member 370. Accordingly, a movement of theoperating member 370 in the forward and backward directions (F, R) isstably guided.

A groove 328 for fixing the driving cable 200 may be formed on thebottom of the base plate 320. For example, the outer cable 220 may befitted onto the groove 328 by force fitting and be fixed to the groove328. The inner cable 240 is connected to the operating member 370.Accordingly, according to the rearward (R) movement of the operatingmember 370, the inner cable 240 is pulled.

Because the foot stepper 300 is disposed on the floor of a public restroom that needs to be cleaned frequently, the foot stepper 300 isfrequently exposed to water. Accordingly, at least one drain hole 329 isformed in the bottom of the base plate 320. Therefore, water whichunintentionally permeates into the inner space of the foot stepper 300is discharged to the outside through the drain hole 329.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a foot stepper 400 according to asecond embodiment of the present device. FIG. 13 is a perspective viewof a foot stepper from which a pedal has been removed, according to thesecond embodiment of the present device.

The foot stepper 400 according to the second embodiment of the presentdevice includes a base plate 420, a pedal 440 disposed on the base plate420, and an operating member 470 that is connected to the driving cable200 for operating the lever 3 and slidably disposed in front and reardirections (F, R) of the base plate 420 within the base plate 420.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the foot stepper according to the secondembodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 14, the pedal 440 isrotatably coupled to the base plate 420. An upper surface 442 of thepedal 440 includes a first plane 444 and a second plane 446, and thefirst plane 444 is inclined with respect to the second plane 446. Asshown in FIG. 14, when the pedal 440 is not pressed downward, theoperating member 470 is positioned in place by the lever 3 of the flushvalve 2 and the spring 450, and, as a result, a state of rotation of thepedal 440 relative to the base plate 420 is maintained by the operatingmember 470. An inclination angle between the first plane 444 and thesecond plane 446 may be formed such that the second plane 446 isparallel to the base plate 420.

In the case of the foot stepper according to the first embodiment of thepresent device, the entire pedal is formed to be movable vertically withrespect to a base plate, and thus, when a user steps on the pedal, thereis no strain on the ankle, and even a small child may step on the pedalwith a small force. In the case of the foot stepper according to thesecond embodiment of the present device, the pedal 440 includes thefirst plane 444 parallel to the base plate 420 and the second plane 446inclined with respect to the first plane 444, and thus a user may stepon the pedal 440 without strain on the ankle by stepping on the firstplane 444, and a user who is familiar with the hinge-type pedal such asa car pedal may use a foot switch according to the present devicewithout a sense of difference by stepping on the second plane 446.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of thepedal is exposed, according to the second embodiment of the presentdevice. As shown in FIG. 15, a protrusion 442 may be coupled to thelower surface of the pedal 440 through a screw, and a roller 448 ismounted on the protrusion 442.

When the pedal 440 is rotatably coupled relative to the base plate 420,a rotatable roller 448 is provided on the protrusion 442 as in thesecond embodiment (rather than a protrusion being formed tosurface-contact an operating member as in the first embodiment), andthus the roller 448 may be configured to be in line contact with theoperating member 470. The roller 448 may be provided in pair.

As a user steps on the pedal 440 with his or her foot and accordinglythe pedal 440 is pressed downward L, the protrusion 442 (together withthe pedal 440) is also rotated downward L relative to the base plate420. At this time, even when the protrusion 442 rotates relative to thebase plate 420, the roller 448 mounted on the protrusion 442 rotateswhile in line contact with the operating member 470, and pushes theoperating member 470 rearward R. As the operating member 470 is pushedrearward R, a driving cable (more precisely, the inner cable 240)connected to the operating member 470 is pulled.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an operating member according to thesecond embodiment of the present device. FIG. 17 is a perspective viewof a base plate.

As shown in FIGS. 13, 16, and 17, at least one guide member 480extending in the front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420may be disposed within the base plate 420. A through hole 472 throughwhich and into which the guide member 480 penetrates and is inserted isformed in the operating member 470, and thus the operating member 470extends in the front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420while the guide member 480 is being inserted into the through hole 472).Accordingly, sliding of the operating member 470 may be stably guided.

In addition, at least one spacer 425 for separating the bottom surfaceof the operating member 470 from the top surface of the base plate 420may be formed on the upper surface of the base plate 420. The spacer 425extends in the front-rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420 sothat the operating member 470 slides forward and backward while beingspaced apart from the upper surface of the base plate 420 on the spacer425. Accordingly, when the operating member 470 slides, a frictionalforce between the operating member 470 and the upper surface of the baseplate 420 may be reduced, and the operating member 470 may slide morestably.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

2: flush valve

3: lever

10: foot switch

100: lever operating part

120: housing

140: arm

150: protrusion pin

160: frame

170: rotation axis

200: driving cable

300: foot stepper

340: pedal

What is claimed is:
 1. A foot stepper for driving a lever of a flushvalve of a toilet bowl, the foot stepper comprising: a base plate; apedal disposed on the base plate; and an operating member connected to adriving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in front andrear directions of the base plate within the base plate, wherein thepedal has a protrusion on a lower surface thereof, the operating memberhas a seating surface in contact with the protrusion, and the seatingsurface of the operating member is inclined such that, as the pedal ispressed downward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operatingmember in the front and rear directions.
 2. The foot stepper of claim 1,wherein the base plate comprises an edge portion extending along an edgeto form an inner space, the edge portion comprises a front edge portion,a rear edge portion, and a side edge portion connecting the front edgeportion to the rear edge portion, and at least a portion of the sideedge portion comprises a guide portion for guiding forward and backwardsliding of the operating member.
 3. The foot stepper of claim 1, whereinat least one drain hole is formed in a lower surface of the base plate.4. The foot stepper of claim 2, wherein a stopping protrusion to beguided along the guide portion is formed on a side surface of theoperating member.
 5. The foot stepper of claim 2, wherein a spring isdisposed between the front edge portion of the base plate and theoperating member, one end of the spring is connected to the front edgeportion, and the other end of the spring is connected to the operatingmember.
 6. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein, when a force applied tothe pedal is removed, the operating member is moved forward at leastpartially by a restoring force of a spring, so that the protrusion movesupward along the seating surface of the operating member and the pedalreturns to an original position.
 7. The foot stepper of claim 1, whereinthe protrusion comprises a seating surface inclined at an inclinationangle corresponding to the inclination angle of the seating surface ofthe operating member.
 8. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein the pedalcomprises a guide pin extending downward at every corner of a lowersurface of the pedal, and the base plate comprises a guide hole intowhich the guide pin is inserted, at every corner of an upper surface ofthe base plate, and the guide pin is movable in a vertical directionwhile being inserted into the guide hole.
 9. The foot stepper of claim1, further comprising a cradle surrounding the base plate, wherein thecradle is a structure having a shape increasing toward the bottom. 10.The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein a rotatable roller is provided onthe protrusion, and, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusionmoves downward, and the roller rotates while being seated on the seatingsurface of the operating member.
 11. The foot stepper of claim 10,wherein the rotatable roller is provided in pair.
 12. The foot stepperof claim 1, wherein the pedal is rotatably coupled to the base plate,and an upper surface of the pedal comprises a first plane and a secondplane, the first plane being formed to be inclined with respect to thesecond plane.
 13. The foot stepper of claim 12, wherein, when the pedalis not pressed downward, the first plane is parallel to the base plate.14. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein at least one guide memberextending in the front and rear directions of the base plate is disposedwithin the base plate, a through hole through which and into which theguide member passes and is inserted is formed in the operating member,and the operating member extends in the front and rear directions of thebase plate in a state where the guide member is inserted into thethrough hole.
 15. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein at least onespacer for separating a bottom surface of the operating member from anupper surface of the base plate is formed on an upper surface of thebase plate, and the spacer extends in the front and rear directions ofthe base plate so that the operating member slides in the front and reardirections of the base plate while being spaced apart from the uppersurface of the base plate on the spacer.